Getting rid of fear and worry keep us from achieving peace and calm. Fears come in all shapes and sizes. But all of them paralyze us and keep us from thinking clearly and making good decisions. (See Part 3-1)
Most often we fear things because we are not facing them. Once we face the problems squarely, the fears diminish or leave completely. How often have we procrastinated and finally started a task to find that it was not difficult at all. Then we wish we had done it much earlier instead of suffering for months just thinking about it.
The roots of worry are similar to those of fear. Many times the things we worry about are things we should be doing better. Both fear and worry are caused by lack of trust. If we trusted God and His promises to take care of all our needs we would not be fearful or need to worry.
Facing Our Problems
When we face our problems and put them behind us, we will be able to help others face theirs.
Isaiah 12:2 says “Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid.
For the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.”According to 2 Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power,
love, and a sound mind.” Psalm 56:11 says “In God I have put my trust,
I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
If we ask forgiveness and cast our cares on Him, we will receive His peace. The world defines peace as having peaceful surroundings. By contrast, God’s peace is inner peace … peace despite the war around us. We achieve this by obeying God’s commands. Isaiah 48:18 says, “If you had obeyed my commands, your peace would be like a river.”
When we do something wrong, our guilt opens the door for the devil to enter. We must immediately ask forgiveness and start again. We lose our peace when we dwell on the past and guilt.
Philippians 4:6-7 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Things to Do
Keep busy. Idle time is the tool of the devil. He sees that we use it to feel sorry for ourselves, to start dwelling on the hurts others have caused us, to get angry at ourselves and let that anger build within us. We use it to worry about our diseases, real or imagined, to worry about money, our children, our spouse.
Resist the negative thought as soon as it pops into your mind. As James 4:7 states, “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.”
Replace the negative thought with God’s Word. Find scriptures that deal with your particular situation, write them on a card and put them in your wallet. When the thoughts start to plague you, read the card a number of times, aloud if possible, until the thoughts disappear. Let’s pray.
Dear Heavenly Father:
Thank You for your loving kindness and
for all the good things You have done for me.
I know that these feelings of fear and worry are not from You.
I ask Your forgiveness for harboring them.
I want to stand firm on Your promise –
to cast my cares on You.
I want to be the overcomer that Your Word says I am.
I ask this in Jesus’ name.AMEN
Once you plant that positive “seed,” even if you don’t yet feel it inside, God will make His promises come true. By relying on His Word, you are operating out of faith. Faith is the basis of our entire relationship with God. However, it must not be blind faith. It must be faith based on the Word of God
For most people, faith starts small but grows with their walk with God. But Jesus said “If ye have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains!” (Matthew 17:20) We all have mountains, let’s start moving them!
DLH – May 15, 1986